Due to budget cuts in the district we have not had a library budget for several years. In our efforts to update our fiction section (to start) we had to get creative. With our Horizon High School Gmail account we created an Amazon Wish List and complied a list of books we would like to receive. We were able to add the school's address, add a profile picture of the school mascot, and ask for a certain amount of copies of each book. Amazon also offers library binding on certain titles. It was an easy task for us and made it simple for the parents and students to search the books and order them. The books came directly to the school which was wonderful. The only draw back was that sometimes the buyer didn't add their name to the packing slip and we didn't know who it was that bought the book. This was important to us because as an incentive we had prizes for those who donated.
Advertising played a large role in the the success of the book drive. We made flyer to distribute around the school. We also posted the flyer and the Amazon Wish List on the homepage of the Media Center website. Things really moved quickly when the parent group advertised the book drive in their weekly blast. We are so grateful to them.
The Book Drive was a huge success! In a months time we were able to collect more than 70 books for the library thanks to our students, the PAWS (Parent Association Working for our Schools) group, faculty, and those in the community who still believe the library plays a vital role in education.
